Greek Gods
"The gods do not forget those who come to their aid." - Athena "I have lived in the shadows of the Gods for long enough! The time of the Gods has come to an end!!" - Kratos Greek Mythology The Gods, along with the Titans, are supreme magical beings that can create and control all kinds of magic and power. In Greek mythology, the gods, also called the Olympians (Δωδεκάθεον), were the principal gods of the Greek pantheon, residing atop Mount Olympus, a forbidden place for any mortal to travel. There were 12 true Olympians, which included: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, and Hestia (she later gave up her throne for Dionysus). Hades was not included because he resided in his home of the Underworld, barely speaking with any of the gods. The 12 Olympians gained their supremecy in the world of gods after Zeus led his siblings to victory in the war with the Titans. The six original Olympians were the children of Cronos and Rhea (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, and Hades). Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, the Charites, Heracles, Dionysus, Hebe, and Persephone were children of Zeus and later recognized as Olympians. Hebe, Helios, Eos, Selene and Persephone are other important gods and goddesses which are sometimes included in a group of twelve. In-Game History Birth and Prophecy "In the beginning, there was Chaos..." - Zeus In the beginning, there was Chaos, the ageless darkness that made up all of creation. From Chaos the Island of Creation was made, and the Titans were born. Reigning over the Titans, the mighty Cronos was informed by the Sisters of Fate that one day he would be overthrown by his own children. In an attempt to gain their favor, Cronos gifted the Sisters with the Steeds of Time. Although they accepted the gift, they refused to change his fate. Trying to prevent the inevitable, Cronos devoured his children born of Rhea one by one, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. When the time came that the last of his children, Zeus, was to be swallowed, Rhea could not bear another such loss. She devised a plan to have Zeus taken to a place far away from the watchful eyes of his cruel father. Calling upon the eagle, Rhea kissed her son goodbye and he was taken to be watched over by Gaia. Rhea wrapped a stone in cloth and Cronos swallowed it, believing it to be the child. Great War "I nurtured his desire to free his brothers and sisters from Cronos. But my foolish act of compassion would haunt the Titans forever." - Gaia Under the care of Gaia, Zeus was raised with the desire to free his brothers from the belly of Cronos. When he came of age, he journeyed back to the Island of Creation and forced Cronos to regurgitate his siblings. Fully grown, these new gods became known as the Olympians, and started a war against the Titans for the sins of only one, thus betraying Gaia. Gaia’s act of compassion would haunt the Titans for the rest of their lives. Some Titans like Prometheus, Epimetheus and Helios betrayed their fellow Titans and joined the Olympians. Atlas led the Titans into a furious battle, completely destroying the landscape of the mortal world. Hades and Poseidon managed to bring Atlas to his knees and steal his soul, but this would not stop the Titans from continuing their efforts to eliminate the Olympians. Zeus created a weapon called the Blade of Olympus, which was used to banish the Titans to the darkest pits of the Underworld – Tartarus. Aftermath "I sentence you to the darkest pits of Tartarus!" - Zeus, before using the Blade of Olympus The Titans were tortured brutally over and over again as a permanent reminder of what they had done, despite Cronos being the only Titan who had done anything wrong in the first place. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades split the world into three. Zeus was given domain over the heavens and was ultimately the ruler of the gods; Poseidon was given domain over all forms of water, controlling the seas and winds; Hades was given domain over the Underworld, the darkest realm of the world where the souls of the dead would journey. Prometheus, caring for the mortals, gave them the fires of Mount Olympus, which Zeus perceived as a betrayal. In response, Zeus turned Prometheus into a mortal and forced him to endure great suffering by having an eagle consume him everyday, fully healing him each time so that this cycle of torment would never cease. Helios, however, became the god of the Sun and was accepted in the Greek pantheon. Birth of the Evils "Zeus realized that the Evils born from that conflict, if left free, would destroy the world of Man and Gods." - Athena The conclusion of the Great War also marked the birth of the Evils, ethereal manifestations of all of the world's vices and corruption. Zeus, realizing the danger they posed if left free, commissioned Hephaestus to construct a vessel to contain them -Pandora's Box- which would be placed within the Flame of Olympus to ensure that none could ever release the Evils within. However, upon completing the box, Hephaestus recommended the back of Cronos as the best place to hide it, reasoning that no one would be able to defeat the mighty Titan to get at it. Unbeknownst to Zeus, Hephaestus' choice was an attempt to protect Pandora, the living key to the Flame of Olympus, who he had come to see as his own daughter. With that matter settled, Zeus drew the Evils into Pandora's Box. Athena also placed the essence of Hope inside the box, as a means to counteract the Evils in the event that the box was ever opened. Pandora’s Temple "This temple was erected in honor of and at the command of the mighty Lord Zeus. Only the bravest hero shall solve its puzzles and survive its dangers. Only one man will receive ultimate power. All others shall meet their doom." - Pathos Verdes III, Chief Architect and Loyal Subject of the Gods The gods appeared before the architect, Pathos Verdes III, tasking him with constructing a temple to house Pandora's Box. After building the temple, Cronos was forced to uphold it on his back and wander the Desert of Lost Souls until the fierce desert winds ripped the flesh from his body. When called upon with the Titan Horn, he would have to allow warriors to climb upon him and journey through the temple. Pathos Verdes III grew more and more insane as he built the many traps and puzzles within the temple, eventually murdering his family and committing suicide. The Birth of a Beast "Born out of wedlock, Kratos was the bastard child of a shunned woman." - Gaia Zeus, the King of Olympus, was famous for his numerous erotic escapades with other women. He was married to Hera, the Queen of Olympus, who bore him the God of War Ares. After a prophecy foretold that the children of Metis would overthrow Olympus, Zeus swallowed her whole. She had already been gifted with a child, who was born from the head of Zeus. This child came to be known as the goddess Athena. In Sparta, Zeus, together with a mortal woman, became the father of the warrior known as Kratos. The woman, however, was forbidden by Zeus to make any of this known to Kratos. Ares' Champion "Ares! Destroy my enemies, and my life is yours!" - Kratos As he grew older, Kratos became a fearsome and well-respected Spartan general. However, during a fierce battle with the barbarians of the East, his life seemed destined for an early end. In his moment of desperation, Kratos called upon Ares, pledging himself to the God of War in return for the deaths of his foes. Seeing potential in the young warrior, Ares obliged, slaying the barbarians and giving Kratos the Blades of Chaos as a mark of his new allegiance. With his Spartan companions, Kratos served Ares’ will and slaughtered millions of innocents in his name. Feeling Kratos could become far stronger by eliminating any weaknesses, Ares decieved his servant into burning down the village where Kratos’ wife and child were present. Blinded by bloodlust, Kratos was warned by the Village Oracle that if he were to enter the main temple within the village, he would be haunted for the rest of his life. Ignoring her plea, Kratos entered the temple and killed everyone inside, including his wife and child. Kratos was under the impression that his wife and child were at their home in Sparta, and was thus horrified to see their corpses before him. Ares appeared before Kratos, claiming that with nothing left in his way, he would become death incarnate. Kratos ignored Ares’ arrogance and learned that he was tricked by the very god who once saved his life. The Village Oracle gathered the ashes of Kratos’ loved ones and fastened them to his skin, permanently reminding him of the greatest sin he committed. Vengeful and despairing, Kratos' goal now was to serve Olympus and redeem himself, and in the future take his revenge upon Ares. Servitude to the Gods "Go with the Gods, Kratos, go forth in the name of Olympus." - The Gods For ten years, Kratos served Olympus' gods, in hopes of gaining their forgiveness and releasing him from the nightmares of his past. In one notable instance, he was defending the city of Attica from a Persian assault when Helios was kidnapped from the sky by the freed Titan Atlas, who used the power of the sun to destroy the Pillar of the World. It was because of Persephone that Atlas was released from his torture, for she wanted nothing more than to be free of her miserable existence. Kratos saved the world by leaving his daughter in Elysium and destroying Persephone, who told him that he would never be free from his nightmares. He then enchained Atlas to uphold the world on his shoulders, where the mighty Titan claimed the two would meet again. Poseidon had been angered by the chaos and destruction left behind by the Hydra. As Kratos journeyed through the Aegean Sea, he noticed a massive shipwreck caused by the creature. He was called upon by the Sea God to rid the waters of the Hydra, granting him the ability of Poseidon's Rage, an attack that would create a devastating blow on the creature. Ares’ jealousy towards Athena grew ever so strong, and he called upon the creatures of the Underworld to invade Athens. Zeus had forbidden the gods from waging war on each other and so Athena looked to Kratos for help. With her guidance, Kratos was given Medusa's Gaze from Aphrodite, Zeus' Fury from Zeus, the Blade of Artemis from Artemis, and the Army of Hades from Hades. Kratos retrieved Pandora’s Box and used its power to become powerful enough to face Ares. Using the Blade of the Gods, Kratos managed to kill Ares once and for all. Although he was forgiven of his sins, the gods refused to free Kratos from the memories that haunted him. Knowing that he would never be free from his sins, Kratos attempted suicide by jumping from the peak of the highest mountain in Greece, until he was saved by Athena and granted Ares' now empty throne on Olympus. Kratos as the New God of War "Do not forget that it was I who made you a god, Ghost of Sparta, do not turn your back on me!" "I owe you NOTHING!" - Athena and Kratos As the new god of war, Kratos was far more ruthless than Ares ever was. Kratos, still plagued with memories of his murdered family, grew fiercely bitter towards the gods for refusing to erase the memories of his past deeds. Thinking of the gods as pathetic and weak, he found solace by leading Sparta in conquering the rest of Greece. Upset by this very fact, the gods became enraged with Kratos’ defiance and Zeus began to fear for his life. Athena tried to prevent Kratos from further destroying any more cities, warning him that the wrath of Olympus will soon present Kratos with the consequence for his actions. Ignoring her, Kratos helped his Spartan comrades take over the city of Rhodes. Zeus' Betrayal and Kratos' Rebellion "You will pay for this Zeus, be certain of that..." - Kratos As Kratos aided his Spartan army as the God of War, Zeus (in the form of an eagle) sapped Kratos of most of his power, causing him to shrink to the size of a mortal. Subsequently, Zeus transferred this power to the Colossus of Rhodes, bringing it to life. Zeus, feigning allegiance with Kratos, tricked him into draining the rest of his godly Powers into the Blade of Olympus. Kratos was rendered mortal, as Zeus revealed himself to have orchestrated the fight between the Colossus and Kratos, betraying him and killing him using the blade. While in the Underworld, Kratos was faced by Gaia, who told him that the Titans would help overthrow Zeus, only if he were to journey to the Island of Creation and defeat the Sisters of Fate. Kratos escaped and rose once again, this time bent on revenge against Zeus. The Fate of Sparta "Sparta... is no more." - The Last Spartan Zeus had gone to the Sisters earlier because of his paranoia involving Kratos’ brutality. The Sisters told Zeus that Kratos was the son destined to overthrow him but that Zeus would be the victor in the end. Believing Kratos was dead, Zeus proceeded to destroy Sparta. Thinking that it was all over, he returned to his throne on Mount Olympus. Kratos learned of Sparta’s fate via the Last Spartan, becoming enraged and continuing his journey to kill Zeus, more determined than ever. Battle with the Fates You will never control your fate, Kratos! - Clotho The murals within the Hall of the Fates had depictions of their prophecies, both of the past and future. In one of the murals, the Olympians and the Titans were seen engaging in battle, which could either represent the original Titanomachy or the events of the Second Great War. In the second mural, a lone man, probably Kratos, stood amidst the destruction left behind. In the third mural, three men were walking towards a star in the sky, alluding the journey of the 3 Wise Men towards the birth of Christ guided by the Star of Bethlehem. This represents the rise of Christianity after the downfall of Olympus, and could signify that the Twilight of the Greek Gods occurred to make way for the coming of Christ. After killing the Sisters, Kratos went back in time to the point where he was betrayed by Zeus. The Ghost of Sparta plunged himself at the king of the gods, and a great battle ensued. Arriving upon the Summit of Sacrifice, Kratos fought with great ferocity. Intervention "God after God will deny you, Kratos. They will protect Zeus. Zeus must live so that Olympus will prevail." - Athena's last words Using the Blade of Olympus, Kratos stabbed Zeus multiple times before being stopped by Athena. Protecting her father, she flung herself in front of Kratos and was stabbed instead. Zeus fled to Olympus while Kratos spoke with Athena. She revealed that he was Zeus’ son and that a vicious cycle of revenge had been passed down by his bloodline. After she died, Kratos used the power of time to journey back to the final moments of the Great War, bringing the Titans with him to destroy the Gods once and for all. Second Titanomachy "Zeus! Your son has returned! I bring the destruction of Olympus!!" - Kratos The Second Titanomachy, also known as the second Great War, started with Zeus calling upon the Gods to discuss the events that had been occurring. He claimed that he would wipe out the plague created by Kratos and that the gods must unite to crush him. Olympus began to shake, and the Gods looked to the edge of the mountain. The Titans, being led by Kratos, climbed towards the Olympians in hopes of destroying them. The Gods immediatly responded to the threat of the Titans crawling up Mount Olympus. Helios, Hermes, Hercules, and Hades engaged the Titans head on, while Poseidon waits with Zeus. Overlooking the battle, Zeus saw the Titans and Gods were evenly matched. The King of the Gods thus decided to have Poseidon enter the fray. The God of Seas entered the battle, leaping off the top of Olympus, targeting the Titan Epimetheus. Hurled forward in a blast of water, Poseidon leaped right through Epimetheus' chest, killing him instantly and knocking him off the mountain into the waters below. With the help of his Hippocampi, which erupted from the water, Poseidon pulled at least one Titan off Mount Olympus before reaching Kratos and Gaia, in the form of a colossal watery construct. After a long and hard struggle, Kratos and Gaia combined their efforts, and the latter tore Poseidon from his 'God form' and threw him across the mountain along with Kratos. Kratos then confronted Poseidon head on, with the God of the Sea warning him that "the death of Olympus means the death of us all!". However, Kratos was unphased, and proceeded to beat the God senseless, gauge his eyes out, and break his neck. As Poseidon fell from Olympus, he began to disintegrate into a liquid mass and landed in the water. As a result of his death, the sea levels rose dramatically and massive waves ravaged the world, engulfing all but the highest mountain tops. Victorious from their battle with Poseidon, Kratos and Gaia reached Zeus, who then summoned a lightning bolt to blast them off the mountain, resulting in Kratos falling into the Underworld. In the Underworld, Kratos met with three Gods; a depressed Hephaestus, Hades, and the spectre of Athena. Eventually, Kratos reached Hades palace in the Underworld, leading to a fierce battle between the two. The battle reached its end when Kratos stole the Claws of Hades and used them to take Hades' soul, thereby releasing all of the dead souls from their torment. The souls of the River Styx then attacked Hades, tearing a hole in his abdomen and leaving his corpse to rot underwater. After leaving the Underworld, Kratos met Helios, the God of the Sun, in the wartorn city of Olympia. Helios was still engaged in combat with the Titan Perses when Kratos reached the site of the battle. With the help of a Ballista, Kratos knocked Helios and his chariot into the grasp of Perses, who crushed and tossed the Sun God across the city. When Kratos found Helios, the gravely injured God appealed to Kratos to save him in exchange for any favor the Ghost of Sparta wanted, Kratos demanded to know the location of the Flame of Olympus, but Helios taunted him for his adamant desire to kill Zeus. When Kratos was about to beat him for answers, Helios called upon the power of the sun, temporarily blinding Kratos, but the latter managed to subdue Helios. In desperation, Helios attempted to trick Kratos into stepping into the Flame of Olympus, telling him that he would receive its power by doing so. Kratos wasn't fooled, as he had been told earlier by Hephaestus that the Flame was lethal to those who touch it, be they man or god. Helios warned Kratos that his death would not lead him to Zeus, but Kratos had other ideas, and decapitated the Sun God with his bare hands. Helios' decapitated head served Kratos as a weapon, and a flashlight. The death of Helios resulted in the Sun being enshrouded by darkness, and a torrential rainfall upon the world. Kratos next encountered Hermes, taunting him with his super speed, and running up the Chain of Balance, after which Kratos followed. Eventually, Kratos caught up with Hermes, leading to a chase in which Kratos struggled to keep up. Through the use of a catapult, Kratos used his Blades of Exile to latch on to the catapult's stone as it hurled towards the statue of Athena where Hermes was perched, destroying the statue and greatly weakining Hermes. After a brief battle, another God fell, and with the death of Hermes, millions of insects flew from his desintegrating body, infecting the world, thus creating the Plague of Olympus. Kratos next encountered Hera and her step-son Hercules (Kratos' half-brother). After mercilessly beating Hercules to death, Kratos fell into the sewers. Emerging from the sewers, Kratos encountered Aphrodite in her chambers. Seducing Kratos into sex, she succeeded, as her handmaidens stood by and watched. Using a portal, Kratos traveled back to the Underworld where he once again found Hephaestus. Alarmed by the realization that Kratos was searching for Pandora herself, he sent Kratos on a suicide mission to find the Omphalos Stone in the hopes that Cronos would kill him. After a battle against the massive Titan, Cronos swallowed Kratos, who proceeded to break free using the Blade of Olympus, spilling his intestines in the process. Kratos returned to Hephaestus, who crafted the Nemesis Whip from the Omphalos Stone. He then found his end attempting to kill Kratos so that his daughter, Pandora, would be protected from him. Hera encountered Kratos within her gardens, and taunted him, saying his simple mind would not allow him to escape. He did however, and snapped her neck. With the death of another Olympian, all the green life in the world died. While Kratos brought the Labyrinth to Olympus, Zeus awaited him. Both father and son duelled around the remains of Olympus, but Pandora eventually reached the Flame of Olympus, resulting in her death. Kratos, using Pandora's Box, hoping to use its power against Zeus, was dissapointed to learn that nothing was inside the box, while the King of Gods laughed at his son's failure and left. Catching up again, Father and Son fought again, but were interupted by Gaia attempting to crush both of them. After Kratos and Zeus fell into Gaia's heart, Kratos eventually used the Blade of Olympus against his father, killing Zeus and Gaia. Zeus' spirit attacked, causing Kratos to retreat into the darkness of his soul. After escaping with the help of Pandora and his family, Kratos lashed out at his father, killing him. With the death of the last Olympian, massive amounts of lightning left his body, and entered the sky, plunging the world into Chaos. Athena then appeared and asked Kratos to give back the power of Hope, which he had unknowingly used to defeat Zeus. Instead, Kratos stabbed himself with the Blade of Olympus, to give Hope to all the mortals of the world. Athena left, disappointed by Kratos's actions, and the Gods were no more. Despite this, many of the gods were left unmentioned in God of War III, opening up the possibility of future games or prequels to explain their fates. Among many minor gods, the major Olympians who didn't appear were Demeter, Hestia, Apollo, Artemis, and Dionysus. Aphrodite was encountered, but she was had no intention of fighting Kratos and was left unharmed. Physical Appearance The gods are mostly indistinguishable from humans in appearance, though some look radically different. Gods, in their natural state, are above-average size, but some, like Hephaestus, Hades, and Ares are and can become very large, though not on the scale of elemental titans. The Olympians also have the ability to increase/decrease their size considerably, but this is usually only for combat. Gods vary greatly in forms and power, more so than the titans, who are all similar in that they're enormous beings embodying the elements. Also noteworthy is the fact that when a God dies, a devastating event occurs that is sometimes called a plague. The plague is based on what the god personifies like great flood waters (Poseidon), deadly swarms of flies (Hermes), and the souls of the dead escaping (Hades). The weaker gods, like Ceryx, however, die without any major consequences, as do Hephaestus and Athena. However, it is possible that these events are not major enough to warrant much attention. Powers It's assumed that most of the Gods in the God of War series posses the following powers: Power Granting, Regeneration, Sense Enhancement, Shapeshifting , Super Agility, Flight, Telekinesis, Super Strength, Summoning and Teleportation . Some Gods have specific powers that correlate to their Godly roles, as Zeus possesses Projection and can conjure lightning, Poseidon can conjure the Element of water, and Hades possessing Soul Absorbtion. Some Gods, like the great Zeus and his brothers Hades and Poseidon, are considered the strongest, having immense powers compared to that of their ancestors. Others, like Ares, Athena, and Persephone, are somewhat weaker then their parents, but share similar levels in power. There are some minor, weaker Gods, like Ceryx or the Fire Steeds, that are considered servants to the Gods, and have no real power of their own. List of the Gods These are all the gods and goddesses who appear and/or are mentioned in the ''God of War'' Series: * Zeus: The God of the sky, thunder, and lightning. The ruler of Olympus and King of the Gods. * Asclepius: The God of medicine and healing. * Aphrodite: The Goddess of love, beauty and desire. * Ares: The first God of War. * Kratos: The second God of War who rebelled against Olympus when they didn't reward him for taking away the memories of Ares making him kill his wife and daughter. * Artemis: the Goddess of the hunt, virginity. * Athena: the goddess of Wisdom, Strategic Warfare and Heroism. * Apollo: the God of Light and Music. * Demeter: Goddess of agriculture and mother to Persephone. * Eos: the Goddess of the Dawn and sister to Helios. * Hades: God of the Underworld and ruler of the Dead. * Helios: God of the Sun. * Hera: The Goddess of Women and Marriage, the sister-wife of Zeus, and the Queen of the Gods. * Hermes: the messenger God of Olympus and God of travellers, speed, commerce and thievery. * Hephaestus: the Smith God of Olympus. * Morpheus: the God of Dreams. * Persephone: the Goddess of Fertility and the Queen of the Underworld. * Poseidon: the God of the Seas. * Thanatos: God of Death. * Amphitrite: A sea Goddess and consort of Poseidon. * Ceryx: The son of Hermes and a messenger God. * Boreas: The God of the North Wind. * Eurus: The God of the East Wind. * Notus: The God of the South Wind. * Zephyrus: The God of the West Wind. * Sisters of Fate: The three sisters Atropos, Lahkesis, and Clotho, control time and fates. Gallery Zeus.JPG|Zeus. hera.jpg|Hera. poseidon1.jpg|Poseidon. Hades God of War.jpg|Hades. Colossus 2.jpg|Helios. hermes1.jpg|Hermes. athena ghost.jpg|Athena. ares paint.jpg|Ares. Aphrodite1.jpg|Aphrodite. Younghephaestus.jpg|Hephaestus. apollo.jpg|Apollo. Artemis.jpg|Artemis. Persephone.jpg|Persephone. Eos.jpg|Eos. Ceryx2.jpg|Ceryx. Boreas face.jpg|Boreas. Kratos11.jpg|Kratos the new God of War. Rsz snap030.jpg|Thanatos. Sisters of Fate.jpg|The Sisters of Fate. Category:Characters Category:Gods Category:God of War Series